77398 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 

Except for determinations made with 

reference to ITAR § 129.9(a), advisory 

opinions are not binding on the 

Department of State and may not be 

used in future matters before the 

Department. 

Any person may submit requests for 

advisory opinions to DDTC via mail to 

PM/DDTC, SA–1, 12th Floor, 

Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, 

Bureau of Political Military Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State, Washington, DC 

20522. 

Advisory Opinion requests, however, 

are preferred and processed more 

quickly when electronically submitted 

via the Defense Export Control and 

Compliance System (DECCS). DECCS 

users are also able to retrieve responses 

using this same system. DDTC staff 

members have defined the data fields 

which are most relevant and necessary 

for requests for Advisory Opinions and 

developed the means to accept this 

information from the industry in the 

secure system in DECCS. 

Methodology 

This information will be collected by 

mail or electronic submission to the 

Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. 

Kevin E. Bryant, 

Deputy Director, Office of Directives 

Management, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24826 Filed 11–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice: 12260] 

Request for Information for the 2024 

Trafficking in Persons Report 

ACTION: Request for Information for the 

2024 Trafficking in Persons Report. 

SUMMARY: The Department of State (‘‘the 

Department’’) requests written 

information to assist in reporting on the 

degree to which the United States and 

foreign governments meet the minimum 

standards for the elimination of 

trafficking in persons (‘‘minimum 

standards’’) that are prescribed by the 

Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 

2000, as amended (‘‘TVPA’’). This 

information will assist in the 

preparation of the Trafficking in Persons 

Report (‘‘TIP Report’’) that the 

Department submits annually to the 

U.S. Congress on governments’ concrete 

actions to meet the minimum standards. 

Foreign governments that do not meet 

the minimum standards and are not 

making significant efforts to do so may 

be subject to restrictions on 

nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related 

foreign assistance from the United 

States, as defined by the TVPA. 

Submissions must be made in writing to 

the Office to Monitor and Combat 

Trafficking in Persons at the Department 

of State by February 1, 2024. Please refer 

to the ADDRESSES, Scope of Interest, and 

Information Sought sections of this 

Notice for additional instructions on 

submission requirements. 

DATES: Submissions must be received by 

5 p.m. EST on February 1, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written submissions and 

supporting documentation may be 

submitted by the following method: 

Email: tipreport@state.gov for 

submissions related to foreign 

governments and tipreportUS@state.gov 

for submissions related to the United 

States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background 

Scope of Interest: The Department 

requests information relevant to 

assessing the United States’ and foreign 

governments’ concrete actions to meet 

the minimum standards for the 

elimination of trafficking in persons 

during the reporting period (April 1, 

2023–March 31, 2024). The minimum 

standards are listed below. Submissions 

must include information relevant to 

efforts to meet the minimum standards 

and should include, but need not be 

limited to, answering the questions in 

the Information Sought section below. 

Submissions need not include answers 

to all the questions; only those 

questions for which the submitter has 

direct professional experience should be 

answered, and that experience should 

be noted. For any critique or deficiency 

described, please provide a 

recommendation to remedy it. Note the 

country or countries that are the focus 

of the submission. 

Submissions may include written 

narratives that answer the questions 

presented in this Notice, research, 

studies, statistics, fieldwork, training 

materials, evaluations, assessments, and 

other relevant evidence of local, state/ 

provincial, and federal/central 

government efforts. To the extent 

possible, precise dates and numbers of 

officials or citizens affected should be 

included. Questions below seek to 

gather information and updates from the 

details provided and assessment on 

government efforts made in the 2023 

TIP Report. 

Furthermore, we request information 

on the government’s treatment of 

‘‘underserved communities,’’ including 

how the government may have 

systemically denied opportunities to a 

community to participate in aspects of 

economic, social, and civic life that has 

led to heighted risk to human trafficking 

or how the government’s anti-trafficking 

response may have treated certain 

groups differently. 

Written narratives providing factual 

information should provide citations of 

sources, and copies of and links to the 

source material should be provided. 

Please send electronic copies of the 

entire submission, including source 

material. If primary sources are used, 

such as research studies, interviews, 

direct observations, or other sources of 

quantitative or qualitative data, provide 

details on the research or data-gathering 

methodology and any supporting 

documentation. The Department only 

includes in the TIP Report information 

related to trafficking in persons as 

defined by the TVPA (Div. A, Pub. L. 

106–386); it does not include, and is 

therefore not seeking, information on 

prostitution, migrant smuggling, visa 

fraud, or child abuse, unless such 

crimes also involve the elements of sex 

trafficking or forced labor. 

Confidentiality: Please provide the 

name, phone number, and email address 

of a single point of contact for any 

submission. It is Department practice 

not to identify in the TIP Report 

information concerning sources to 

safeguard those sources. Please note, 

however, that any information 

submitted to the Department may be 

releasable pursuant to the provisions of 

the Freedom of Information Act or other 

applicable law. Submissions related to 

the United States will be shared with 

U.S. Government agencies, as will 

submissions relevant to efforts by other 

U.S. Government agencies. 

Response: This is a request for 

information only; there will be no 

response to submissions. Remuneration 

for responses will not be provided. In 

order to expend appropriated funds, 

there must be specific authority to do 

so. The Department of State has no 

authority to expend funds for this 

purpose. 

Definitions: The TVPA defines 

‘‘severe forms of trafficking in persons’’ 

as: 

• The recruitment, harboring, 

transportation, provision, obtaining, 

patronizing, or soliciting of a person for 

the purpose of a commercial sex act that 

is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, 

or in which the person induced to 

perform such act has not attained 18 

years of age. 

Æ Persons under age 18 in 

commercial sex are trafficking in 

persons victims regardless of whether 

force, fraud, or coercion were involved. 

• The recruitment, harboring, 

transportation, provision, or obtaining 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 77399 

of a person for labor or services, through 

the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for 

the purposes of involuntary servitude, 

peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. 

Æ Forced labor may take the form of 

domestic servitude, forced begging, 

forced criminal activity (e.g., drug 

smuggling), and prison labor that is not 

the product of a conviction in a court of 

law. 

• Children recruited or used as 

soldiers or for labor or services can be 

a severe form of human trafficking when 

the activity involves force, fraud, or 

coercion. Children may be victims 

regardless of gender. 

The TIP Report: The TIP Report is the 

most comprehensive worldwide report 

assessing governments’ efforts to combat 

trafficking in persons. It represents an 

annually updated global assessment of 

the nature and scope of trafficking in 

persons and the broad range of 

government actions to confront and 

eliminate it. The U.S. government uses 

the TIP Report to inform diplomacy, to 

encourage partnership in creating and 

implementing laws and policies to 

combat trafficking, and to target 

resources on prevention, protection, and 

prosecution programs. Worldwide, 

international organizations, foreign 

governments, and nongovernmental 

organizations (NGOs) use the TIP Report 

as a tool to examine where resources are 

most needed. Prosecuting traffickers, 

protecting victims, and preventing 

trafficking are the ultimate goals of the 

TIP Report and of the U.S Government’s 

anti-trafficking policy. 

The Department prepares the TIP 

Report with information from across the 

U.S. Government, foreign government 

officials, nongovernmental and 

international organizations, survivors of 

trafficking in persons, published 

reports, and research related to every 

region. The TIP Report focuses on 

concrete actions that governments take 

to fight trafficking in persons, including 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences for traffickers, as well as 

victim identification and protection 

measures and prevention efforts. Each 

TIP Report narrative also includes 

prioritized recommendations for each 

country. These recommendations are 

used to assist the Department in 

measuring governments’ progress from 

one year to the next and determining 

whether governments meet the 

minimum standards for the elimination 

of trafficking in persons or are making 

significant efforts to do so. 

The TVPA creates a four-tier ranking 

system. Tier placement is based 

principally on the extent of concrete 

government action to combat trafficking. 

The Department first evaluates whether 

the government fully meets the TVPA’s 

minimum standards for the elimination 

of trafficking. Governments that do so 

are placed on Tier 1. For other 

governments, the Department considers 

the extent of such efforts. Governments 

that are making significant efforts to 

meet the minimum standards are placed 

on Tier 2. Governments that do not fully 

meet the minimum standards and are 

not making significant efforts to do so 

are placed on Tier 3. Finally, the 

Department considers Watch List 

criteria and, when applicable, places 

countries on the Tier 2 Watch List. For 

more information, the 2023 TIP Report 

can be found at www.state.gov/reports/ 

2023-trafficking-in-persons-report. 

Since the inception of the TIP Report 

in 2001, the number of countries 

included and ranked has more than 

doubled; the 2023 TIP Report included 

188 countries and territories. Around 

the world, the TIP Report and the 

promising practices reflected therein 

have inspired legislation, national 

action plans, policy implementation, 

program funding, protection 

mechanisms that complement 

prosecution efforts, and a stronger 

global understanding of this crime. 

Since 2003, the primary reporting on 

the United States’ anti-trafficking 

activities has been through the annual 

Attorney General’s Report to Congress 

and Assessment of U.S. Government 

Activities to Combat Human Trafficking 

(‘‘AG Report’’) mandated by section 105 

of the TVPA (22 U.S.C. 7103(d)(7)). 

Since 2010, the TIP Report, through a 

collaborative interagency process, has 

included an assessment of U.S. 

government anti-trafficking efforts in 

light of the minimum standards to 

eliminate trafficking in persons set forth 

by the TVPA. 

II. Minimum Standards for the 

Elimination of Trafficking in Persons 

The TVPA sets forth the minimum 

standards for the elimination of 

trafficking in persons as follows: 

(1) The government of the country 

should prohibit severe forms of 

trafficking in persons and punish acts of 

such trafficking. 

(2) For the knowing commission of 

any act of sex trafficking involving 

force, fraud, coercion, or in which the 

victim of sex trafficking is a child 

incapable of giving meaningful consent, 

or of trafficking which includes rape or 

kidnapping or which causes a death, the 

government of the country should 

prescribe punishment commensurate 

with that for grave crimes, such as 

forcible sexual assault. 

(3) For the knowing commission of 

any act of a severe form of trafficking in 

persons, the government of the country 

should prescribe punishment that is 

sufficiently stringent to deter and that 

adequately reflects the heinous nature of 

the offense. 

(4) The government of the country 

should make serious and sustained 

efforts to eliminate severe forms of 

trafficking in persons. 

For purposes of (4) above, the 

following factors should be considered 

as indicia of serious and sustained 

efforts to eliminate severe forms of 

trafficking in persons: 

(1) Whether the government of the 

country vigorously investigates and 

prosecutes acts of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons, and convicts and 

sentences persons responsible for such 

acts, that take place wholly or partly 

within the territory of the country, 

including, as appropriate, requiring 

incarceration of individuals convicted 

of such acts. For purposes of the 

preceding sentence, suspended or 

significantly reduced sentences for 

convictions of principal actors in cases 

of severe forms of trafficking in persons 

shall be considered, on a case-by-case 

basis, whether to be considered an 

indicator of serious and sustained 

efforts to eliminate severe forms of 

trafficking in persons. After reasonable 

requests from the Department of State 

for data regarding investigations, 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences, a government which does not 

provide such data, consistent with a 

demonstrably increasing capacity of 

such government to obtain such data, 

shall be presumed not to have 

vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 

convicted or sentenced such acts. 

(2) Whether the government of the 

country protects victims of severe forms 

of trafficking in persons and encourages 

their assistance in the investigation and 

prosecution of such trafficking, 

including provisions for legal 

alternatives to their removal to countries 

in which they would face retribution or 

hardship, and ensures that victims are 

not inappropriately incarcerated, fined, 

or otherwise penalized solely for 

unlawful acts as a direct result of being 

trafficked, including by providing 

training to law enforcement and 

immigration officials regarding the 

identification and treatment of 

trafficking victims using approaches 

that focus on the needs of the victims. 

(3) Whether the government of the 

country has adopted measures to 

prevent severe forms of trafficking in 

persons, such as measures to inform and 

educate the public, including potential 

victims, about the causes and 

consequences of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons, measures to 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
77400 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 

establish the identity of local 

populations, including birth 

registration, citizenship, and 

nationality, measures to ensure that its 

nationals who are deployed abroad as 

part of a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or 

other similar mission do not engage in 

or facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons or exploit victims of such 

trafficking, a transparent system for 

remediating or punishing such public 

officials as a deterrent, measures to 

prevent the use of forced labor or child 

labor in violation of international 

standards, effective bilateral, 

multilateral, or regional information 

sharing and cooperation arrangements 

with other countries, and effective 

policies or laws regulating foreign labor 

recruiters and holding them civilly and 

criminally liable for fraudulent 

recruiting. 

(4) Whether the government of the 

country cooperates with other 

governments in the investigation and 

prosecution of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons and has entered 

into bilateral, multilateral, or regional 

law enforcement cooperation and 

coordination arrangements with other 

countries. 

(5) Whether the government of the 

country extradites persons charged with 

acts of severe forms of trafficking in 

persons on substantially the same terms 

and to substantially the same extent as 

persons charged with other serious 

crimes (or, to the extent such extradition 

would be inconsistent with the laws of 

such country or with international 

agreements to which the country is a 

party, whether the government is taking 

all appropriate measures to modify or 

replace such laws and treaties so as to 

permit such extradition). 

(6) Whether the government of the 

country monitors immigration and 

emigration patterns for evidence of 

severe forms of trafficking in persons 

and whether law enforcement agencies 

of the country respond to any such 

evidence in a manner that is consistent 

with the vigorous investigation and 

prosecution of acts of such trafficking, 

as well as with the protection of human 

rights of victims and the internationally 

recognized human right to leave any 

country, including one’s own, and to 

return to one’s own country. 

(7) Whether the government of the 

country vigorously investigates, 

prosecutes, convicts, and sentences 

public officials, including diplomats 

and soldiers, who participate in or 

facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons, including nationals of the 

country who are deployed abroad as 

part of a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or 

other similar mission who engage in or 

facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons or exploit victims of such 

trafficking, and takes all appropriate 

measures against officials who condone 

or enable such trafficking. A 

government’s failure to appropriately 

address public allegations against such 

public officials, especially once such 

officials have returned to their home 

countries, shall be considered inaction 

under these criteria. After reasonable 

requests from the Department of State 

for data regarding such investigations, 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences, a government which does not 

provide such data, consistent with a 

demonstrably increasing capacity of 

such government to obtain such data, 

shall be presumed not to have 

vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 

convicted, or sentenced such acts. 

(8) Whether the percentage of victims 

of severe forms of trafficking in the 

country that are non-citizens of such 

countries is insignificant. 

(9) Whether the government has 

entered into effective, transparent 

partnerships, cooperative arrangements, 

or agreements that have resulted in 

concrete and measurable outcomes 

with— 

(A) domestic civil society 

organizations, private sector entities, or 

international nongovernmental 

organizations, or into multilateral or 

regional arrangements or agreements, to 

assist the government’s efforts to 

prevent trafficking, protect victims, and 

punish traffickers; or 

(B) the United States toward agreed 

goals and objectives in the collective 

fight against trafficking. 

(10) Whether the government of the 

country, consistent with the capacity of 

such government, systematically 

monitors its efforts to satisfy the criteria 

described in paragraphs (1) through (8) 

and makes available publicly a periodic 

assessment of such efforts. 

(11) Whether the government of the 

country achieves appreciable progress 

in eliminating severe forms of 

trafficking when compared to the 

assessment in the previous year. 

(12) Whether the government of the 

country has made serious and sustained 

efforts to reduce the demand for — 

(A) commercial sex acts; and 

(B) participation in international sex 

tourism by nationals of the country. 

III. Information Sought Relevant to the 

Minimum Standards 

Submissions should include, but need 

not be limited to, answers to relevant 

questions below for which the submitter 

has direct professional experience. 

Citations to source material should also 

be provided. Note the country or 

countries that are the focus of the 

submission. Please see the Scope of 

Interest section above for detailed 

information regarding submission 

requirements. 

Overview 

1. What were the government’s major 

accomplishments in addressing human 

trafficking since April 1, 2023? In what 

significant ways have the government’s 

efforts to combat trafficking in persons 

changed in the past year? How have 

new laws, regulations, policies, or 

implementation strategies (e.g., 

substantive criminal laws and 

procedures, mechanisms for civil 

remedies, and victim-witness programs, 

generally and in relation to court 

proceedings) affected its anti-trafficking 

response? 

2. Over the past year, what were the 

greatest deficiencies in the government’s 

anti-trafficking efforts? What were the 

limitations on the government’s ability 

to address human trafficking problems 

in practice? 

3. Please provide additional 

information and/or recommendations to 

improve the government’s antitrafficking efforts overall. 

4. Please highlight effective strategies 

and practices that other governments 

could consider adopting. 

Prosecution 

5. Please provide observations 

regarding the implementation of 

existing laws, policies, and procedures. 

Are there gaps in anti-trafficking 

legislation that could be amended to 

improve the government’s response? 

Are there any government policies that 

have undermined or otherwise 

negatively affected anti-trafficking 

efforts within that country? 

6. Do government officials understand 

the nature of all forms of trafficking? If 

not, please provide examples of 

misconceptions or misunderstandings. 

Did the government effectively provide 

or support anti-trafficking trainings for 

officials? If not, how could they be 

improved? 

7. Please provide observations on 

overall anti-trafficking law enforcement 

efforts and the efforts of police and 

prosecutors to pursue trafficking cases. 

Is the government equally vigorous in 

pursuing forced labor and sex 

trafficking, internal and transnational 

trafficking, and crimes that involve its 

own nationals or foreign citizens? Were 

anti-trafficking laws equitably enforced, 

or were certain communities 

disproportionately affected? 

8. Please note any efforts to 

investigate and prosecute suspects for 

knowingly soliciting or patronizing a 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 77401 

sex trafficking victim to perform a 

commercial sex act. 

9. Does law enforcement pursue 

trafficking cases that would hold 

accountable private employers or 

corporations for forced labor in supply 

chains? 

10. Do judges appear appropriately 

knowledgeable and sensitized to 

trafficking cases? Do they implement 

and encourage trauma-informed 

practices in their courts? 

11. Were there allegations of official 

complicity in trafficking crimes, via 

contacts, media, or other sources, 

including of state-sponsored forced 

labor? If so, what measures did the 

government take to end such practices? 

What proactive measures did the 

government take to prevent official 

complicity in trafficking in persons 

crimes? How did the government 

respond to reports of complicity that 

arose during the reporting period, 

including investigations, prosecutions, 

convictions, and sentencing of complicit 

officials? Were these efforts sufficient? 

12. Is there evidence that nationals of 

the country deployed abroad as part of 

a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or other 

similar mission have engaged in or 

facilitated trafficking, including in 

domestic servitude? Has the government 

vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 

convicted, and sentenced nationals 

engaged in these activities? 

Protection 

13. Did the government make a 

coordinated, proactive effort to identify 

victims of all forms of trafficking? If 

there were any new (or changes to 

preexisting) formal/standard procedures 

for screening for trafficking, including of 

individuals in immigration detention or 

removal proceedings, and for victim 

referral to protection services, were 

those procedures sufficient and how did 

the government implement them? Did 

officials effectively coordinate among 

one another and with relevant NGOs to 

conduct screenings and refer victims to 

care? Did the government deploy 

mechanisms (e.g., written procedures, 

policies, bureaucratic structures, 

survivor engagement protocols, etc.) to 

ensure it equitably administered victim 

identification and protection measures? 

14. If commercial sex is legalized or 

decriminalized in the country, how did 

health officials, labor inspectors, or 

police identify trafficking victims 

among persons involved in commercial 

sex? If commercial sex is illegal, did the 

government proactively identify 

trafficking victims during law 

enforcement operations or other 

encounters with commercial sex 

establishments? 

15. If the government operates or 

funds any trafficking-specific hotlines 

(including those run by NGOs), did calls 

to those hotlines lead to victim 

identification, victim referral to care, 

and/or criminal investigations? 

16. Were there any new (or changes to 

preexisting) services available for 

victims and survivors (legal, medical, 

food, shelter, interpretation, mental 

health care, employment, training, etc.)? 

If NGOs provide the services, does the 

government adequately support their 

work either financially or otherwise? 

Did all victims and survivors of both 

labor and sex trafficking—regardless of 

citizenship, gender identity, racial/ 

ethnic identity, sexual orientation, 

religious affiliation, and physical 

ability—receive the same quality and 

level of access to services? 

17. What was the overall quality of 

victim care? How could victim services 

be improved? Are services victimcentered and trauma-informed? Were 

services linked to whether a victim 

assisted law enforcement or participated 

in a trial, or whether a trafficker was 

convicted? Could victims choose 

independently whether to enter a 

shelter, and could they leave at will if 

residing in a shelter? Could victims seek 

employment and work while receiving 

assistance? 

18. Where were child victims placed 

(e.g., in shelters, foster care, or juvenile 

justice detention centers), and what 

kind of specialized care did they 

receive? 

19. What is the level of cooperation, 

communication, and trust between 

service providers and law enforcement? 

20. Were there means by which 

victims could obtain restitution from 

defendants in criminal cases or file civil 

suits against traffickers for damages, and 

did this happen in practice? Did 

prosecutors request and/or courts order 

restitution in all cases where it was 

required, and if not, why? 

21. Please provide observations on 

trafficking victims and survivors’ ability 

to access justice, as they define it, and 

the treatment of survivors throughout 

the criminal legal process. How did the 

government encourage victims to assist 

in the investigation and prosecution of 

trafficking, and did it do so in a traumainformed way? How did the government 

protect victims during the trial process 

and ensure victims were not retraumatized during participation in the 

process? If a victim was a witness in a 

court case, was the victim permitted to 

obtain employment, move freely about 

the country, or leave the country 

pending trial proceedings? In what ways 

could the government increase support 

for victims in prosecutions against the 

traffickers? 

22. Did the government provide, 

through a formal policy or otherwise, 

temporary or permanent residency 

status, or other relief from deportation, 

for foreign national victims of human 

trafficking who may face retribution or 

hardship in the countries to which they 

would be deported? Were foreign 

national victims given the opportunity 

to seek legal employment while in this 

temporary or permanent residency? 

Were such benefits linked to whether a 

victim assisted law enforcement, 

whether a victim participated in a trial, 

or whether there was a successful 

prosecution? Does the government 

repatriate victims who wish to return 

home or assist with third country 

resettlement? Are victims awaiting 

repatriation or third country 

resettlement offered services? Are 

victims indeed repatriated, or are they 

deported? 

23. Does the government effectively 

assist its nationals exploited abroad? 

Does the government work to ensure 

victims receive adequate assistance and 

support for their repatriation while in 

destination countries? Does the 

government provide adequate assistance 

to repatriated victims after their return 

to their countries of origin, and if so, 

what forms of assistance? 

24. Does the government arrest, 

detain, imprison, or otherwise punish 

trafficking victims (whether or not 

identified as such by authorities) for 

unlawful acts committed as a direct 

result of being trafficked (forgery of 

documents, illegal immigration, 

unauthorized employment, prostitution, 

theft, or drug production or transport, 

etc.)? If so, do these victims 

disproportionately represent a certain 

gender, race, ethnicity, or other group or 

particular type of trafficking? 

Prevention 

25. What efforts has the government 

made to prevent human trafficking? Did 

the government enforce any policies 

that further marginalized communities 

already overrepresented among 

trafficking victims, increasing their risk 

to human trafficking? If so, did it take 

efforts to address those policies? 

26. If the government had a national 

action plan to address trafficking, how 

was it implemented in practice? Were 

NGOs and other relevant civil society 

stakeholders consulted in the 

development and implementation of the 

plan? 

27. Please describe any governmentfunded anti-trafficking information or 

education campaigns or training, 

whether aimed at the public or at 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
77402 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 

specific sectors or stakeholders/actors. 

What strategies did the campaigns 

employ to ensure messaging and images 

did not legitimize and/or perpetuate 

harmful or racialized narratives and/or 

stereotypes about what victims, 

survivors, and perpetrators look like? 

Were campaign materials readily 

available, cost-free, and accessible in 

various languages, including braille? 

Does the government provide financial 

support to NGOs working to promote 

public awareness? 

28. Did the government seek and 

include the input of survivors in 

crafting its anti-trafficking laws, 

regulations, policies, programs, or in 

their implementation? If so, did the 

government take steps to ensure input 

was received and incorporated from a 

diverse group of survivors? 

29. How did the government regulate, 

oversee, and screen for trafficking 

indicators in the labor recruitment 

process, including for both licensed and 

unlicensed recruitment and placement 

agencies, individual recruiters, subbrokerages, and microfinance lending 

operations? Did the government prohibit 

(in any context) charging workers 

recruitment fees and prohibit the 

recruitment of workers through 

knowingly fraudulent job offers 

(including misrepresenting wages, 

working conditions, location, or nature 

of the job), contract switching, and 

confiscating or otherwise denying 

workers access to their identity 

documents? If there are laws or 

regulations on recruitment, did the 

government effectively enforce them? 

Did the government allow migrant 

workers to change employers in a timely 

manner without obtaining special 

permissions? 

30. Did the government coordinate 

with other governments (e.g., via 

bilateral agreements with migrant labor 

sending or receiving countries) on safe 

and responsible labor recruitment that 

included prevention measures to target 

known trafficking indicators? To what 

extent were these implemented? Are 

workers (both nationals of the country 

and foreign nationals) in all industries 

(e.g., domestic work, agriculture, etc.) 

equally and sufficiently protected under 

existing labor laws? 

31. Did government policies, 

regulations, or agreements relating to 

migration, labor, trade, and investment 

facilitate vulnerabilities to, or incidence 

of, forced labor or sex trafficking? If so, 

what actions did the government take to 

ensure that its policies, regulations, and 

agreements relating to migration, labor, 

trade, border security measures, and 

investment did not facilitate trafficking? 

32. Did the government take tangible 

action to prevent forced labor in 

domestic or global supply chains? Did 

the government make any efforts to 

prohibit and prevent trafficking in the 

supply chains of its own public 

procurement? 

33. If the government has entered into 

bilateral, multilateral, or regional antitrafficking information-sharing and 

cooperation arrangements, are they 

effective and have they resulted in 

concrete and measurable outcomes? If 

not, why? 

34. Did the government provide 

assistance to other governments in 

combating trafficking in persons 

through trainings or other assistance 

programs? 

35. What measures has the 

government taken to reduce the 

participation by nationals of the country 

in international and domestic child sex 

tourism? 

Territories and Semi-Autonomous 

Regions 

36. Please provide any information 

about trafficking trends and government 

anti-trafficking efforts in non-sovereign 

territories and semi-autonomous regions 

to prosecute traffickers, identify and 

provide services to victims, and prevent 

trafficking. 

Trafficking Profile 

37. Were there any changes to the 

country’s trafficking situation, including 

the forms of trafficking that occur, 

industries and sectors in which 

traffickers exploit victims, countries/ 

regions in which traffickers recruit 

victims, locations and regions in which 

trafficking occurs, and recruitment 

methods? Are citizens of the country 

identified as victims of human 

trafficking abroad? As COVID–19- 

related restrictions have lifted in many 

parts of the world, were there additional 

changes in trafficking trends? 

38. What groups, including 

underserved communities, are at 

particular risk of human trafficking? 

Underserved communities are 

populations sharing a particular 

characteristic, as well as geographic 

communities, that have been 

systematically denied a full opportunity 

to participate in aspects of economic, 

social, and civic life. This term may 

include, but is not limited to, women 

and girls, persons with disabilities, 

indigenous peoples, people of African 

descent, racial and ethnic minorities, 

refugees and internally displaced 

people, religious minorities, LGBTQI+ 

persons, rural residents, migrants, as 

well as those who are otherwise 

adversely affected by persistent poverty 

or inequality. 

39. Chinese/Cuban/North Korean 

workers: Are any of these populations 

subjected to or at high risk of forced 

labor in the country as part of 

government-to-government agreements 

and/or in foreign government-affiliated 

projects? 

40. Please provide any information 

about trafficking trends, general 

numerical data on victims identified, or 

risk factors stemming from climaterelated change or disasters, as well as 

any efforts to mitigate these 

vulnerabilities; the ongoing armed 

conflict following Russia’s full-scale 

invasion of Ukraine; and the use of 

technology to recruit and exploit 

victims. 

Child Soldiering 

41. Using the definition of ‘‘child 

soldier’’ as defined by the Child 

Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (CSPA), 

describe instances, cases, and reports, 

including anecdotal reports, of: 

a. Use of any person under the age of 

18 in direct hostilities as a member of 

governmental armed forces, police, or 

other security forces; 

b. Conscription or forced recruitment 

of persons under the age of 18 into 

governmental armed forces, police, or 

other security forces; 

c. Voluntary recruitment of any 

person under 15 years of age into 

governmental armed forces, police, or 

other security forces; 

d. Recruitment (forced or voluntary) 

or use in hostilities of persons under the 

age of 18 by armed groups distinct from 

the armed forces of a state. 

e. Abuse of male and female children 

recruited by governmental armed forces, 

police, or other security forces, and 

government-supported armed groups 

(e.g., sexual abuse or use for forced 

labor). Describe the manner and age of 

conscription, noting differences in 

treatment or conscription patterns based 

on gender. 

42. Did the government provide 

support to an armed group that recruits 

and/or uses child soldiers? What was 

the extent of the support (e.g., in-kind, 

financial, training, etc.)? Where did the 

provision of support occur (within the 

country or outside of the country)? In 

cases where the government was 

included on the CSPA list in 2023 based 

on its support to non-state armed groups 

that recruit and/or use child soldiers, 

describe whether the government took 

steps to pressure the group to cease its 

recruitment or use of child soldiers, 

publicly disavow the group’s 

recruitment or use of child soldiers, or 

cease its support to that group. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 216 / Thursday, November 9, 2023 / Notices 77403 

1The Board notes that, for the Burkville-Western 

Junction segment, the difference between the 

milepost numbers is 33 but the claimed distance of 

the segment is 30.22 miles. CSXT is directed to 

confirm that 30.22 miles is the correct distance of 

this segment or to provide a correction. CSXT shall 

submit this information by November 21, 2023 

when it submits the supplemental information 

discussed below. 

2AGR and MNBR are both controlled by Genesee 

& Wyoming Inc. (GWI). See Genesee & Wyo. Inc.— 

Control—RailAmerica, Inc., FD 35654, slip op. at 3 

n.7 (STB served Dec. 20, 2012). 

3 GWI acquired control of M&B in 2005 and later 

changed its name to MNBR. See Genesee & Wyo. 

Inc.—Control Exemption—Rail Partners, L.P., FD 

34708 (STB served June 24, 2005). 

4The Transaction Agreement is attached to the 

Application as Exhibit 2. 

43. Describe any government efforts to 

prevent or end child soldier recruitment 

or use, including efforts to disarm, 

demobilize, and reintegrate former child 

soldiers. (i.e., enacting any laws or 

regulations, implementing a United 

Nations Action Plan or Roadmap, 

specialized training for officials, 

procedures for age verification, etc.) 

Cynthia D. Dyer, 

Ambassador-at-Large, Office to Monitor and 

Combat Trafficking in Persons, Department 

of State. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24781 Filed 11–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36727] 

CSX Transportation, Inc.—Acquisition 

and Operation—Rail Line of Meridian & 

Bigbee Railroad, L.L.C. 

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. 

ACTION: Decision No. 1; Notice of 

acceptance of primary application; 

Notice of acceptance of related filings 

for consideration; Issuance of 

procedural schedule. 

SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation 

Board (Board) is accepting the primary 

application (Application) filed October 

6, 2023, by CSX Transportation Inc. 

(CSXT), and accepting for consideration 

two related filings. The Application 

seeks Board approval for CSXT to 

acquire and operate the assets 

comprising the rail line of Meridian & 

Bigbee Railroad, L.L.C. (MNBR) that 

runs approximately 93.68 miles between 

the cities of Burkville, Ala., and 

Myrtlewood, Ala., in Lowndes, Dallas, 

Wilcox and Marengo Counties (the 

Eastern Line). This proposal is referred 

to as the ‘‘Proposed Transaction.’’ The 

related filings are notices of exemption 

seeking Board approval of transactions 

involving trackage rights of other 

carriers (Related Transactions). 

DATES: The effective date of this 

decision is November 3, 2023. CSXT is 

directed to supplement its Application 

as discussed in this decision by 

November 21, 2023. Any person who 

wishes to participate in this proceeding 

as a Party of Record must file, no later 

than November 27, 2023, a notice of 

intent to participate. All comments, 

protests, requests for conditions, and 

any other evidence and argument in 

opposition to the Application and 

related filings, including filings by the 

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT), must be filed by December 11, 

2023. Responses to comments, protests, 

requests for conditions, other 

opposition, and rebuttal in support of 

the Application or related filings must 

be filed by January 8, 2023. See 

Appendix (Procedural Schedule). A 

final decision in this matter will be 

served no later than 45 days after the 

date on which the evidentiary 

proceedings conclude, subject to the 

completion of environmental review. 

Further procedural orders, if any, would 

be issued by the Board. 

ADDRESSES: Any filing submitted in this 

proceeding should be filed with the 

Board via e-filing on the Board’s 

website. In addition, one copy of each 

filing must be sent (and may be sent by 

email only if service by email is 

acceptable to the recipient) to each of 

the following: (1) Secretary of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; (2) 

Attorney General of the United States, c/ 

o Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust 

Division, Room 3109, Department of 

Justice, Washington, DC 20530; (3) 

CSXT’s representative, Peter W. Denton, 

Steptoe & Johnson LLP, 1330 

Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20036; (4) AGR’s and MNBR’s 

representative, Justin J. Marks, Clark 

Hill PLC, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 

Suite 1300 South, Washington, DC 

20004; and (5) any other person 

designated as a Party of Record on the 

service list. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jonathon Binet at (202) 245–0368. If you 

require an accommodation under the 

Americans with Disabilities Act, please 

call (202) 245–0245. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CSXT 

seeks the Board’s prior review and 

authorization pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 

11323–25 and 49 CFR part 1180 to 

acquire from MNBR and operate the 

Eastern Line. (Appl. 1.) The Eastern 

Line consists of two segments totaling 

approximately 93.68 miles: (1) 

extending from milepost XXB 189.00 

near Burkville to milepost XXB 222.00 

at Western Junction, a distance of about 

30.22 miles; 1 and (2) extending from a 

connection with the first segment at 

Western Junction, milepost OOR 716.25 

to milepost ORS 779.71 near 

Myrtlewood, a distance of about 63.46 

miles. (Id.) The Eastern Line includes 

Selma Yard, at Selma, Ala., and the 

following stations: Myrtlewood, Linden, 

Thomaston, Safford, Orville, Beloit, 

Selma, Industrial Lead, Tyler, Benton, 

Whitehall, and Burkville. (Id.) Two 

other carriers, Alabama Gulf Coast 

Railway LLC (AGR) and Norfolk 

Southern Railway (NSR) connect with 

the Eastern Line. AGR’s line connects to 

the Eastern Line at Linden, Ala. (Id. at 

5.) AGR operates over an approximately 

10-mile portion of the Eastern Line 

between Linden and Myrtlewood to 

interchange traffic with MNBR.2 (Id.) 

NSR connects to the Eastern Line at 

Selma, where it interchanges traffic with 

MNBR. (Id. at 12.) 

Prior to 2003, CSXT and its 

predecessors owned and operated the 

Eastern Line. (Id. at 2.) In 2003, CSXT 

entered into a Land Lease Agreement 

(2003 Agreement) with M&B Railroad, 

L.L.C. (M&B), which was later renamed 

MNBR,3 whereby CSXT: (1) sold to M&B 

the tracks, rails, ties, ballast, other track 

materials, switches, crossings, bridges, 

culverts, crossing warning devices and 

any and all improvements or fixtures 

affixed to the Eastern Line (Assets); (2) 

leased to M&B for a 20-year term the 

real property underlying the Eastern 

Line; and (3) granted M&B incidental 

overhead trackage rights over 

approximately 14 miles of CSXT 

trackage between the eastern end of the 

Eastern Line at Burkville and 

Montgomery, Ala., to effectuate 

interchange between M&B and CSXT at 

CSXT’s S and N Yard and Chester Yard 

at Montgomery. (Id.) The 2003 

Agreement will expire at the end of its 

20-year term, on November 14, 2023, 

thereby ending MNBR’s leasehold 

interest. (Id.) The 2003 Agreement 

provides that CSXT may reacquire the 

Assets from MNBR upon expiration of 

MNBR’s leasehold interest. (Id.) The 

parties have entered an agreement for 

CSXT to reacquire the Assets from 

MNBR (Transaction Agreement).4 (Id. at 

2–3.) Because MNBR’s lease is set to 

expire during this proceeding, CSXT 

and MNBR have agreed to extend the 

2003 Agreement until the first to occur 

of: (1) the closing date of the 

transactions contemplated under the 

Transaction Agreement; or (2) the ‘‘Drop 

Dead Date,’’ as defined in the 

Transaction Agreement. (Id.) 

In Docket No. AB 1335X, MNBR filed 

a verified notice of exemption under the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1